is it really praise of Hashem to say that He
Sweetening Your New Year
(Continued from page 16)
will definitely have a significant impact on
our judgment on Rosh Hashanah.
A JEW AT HEART
“…he goes with the whims of his
heart” (Devorim 29:18). As explained
above, total faith in Hashem is crucial to
serve Him properly. Yet, this alone is not
sufficient to guarantee a sweet judgment
on Rosh Hashanah.
Some people consider themselves
“Jews at heart.” Someone who merely
believes in his heart is ignoring the duties
which the Almighty has obligated us to
keep. This is what is meant by someone
who goes with “the whims of his heart.”
Good intentions are important, but
forces withdrew, 2000.
France Claims El Baradei Left
Out Evidence of Iran Bomb
The London Times reported (September 8,
2009) that Mohammed El Baradei, the chairman
of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is
accused of deliberately hiding evidence of Iran’s
work on a nuclear bomb.
France and Israel have led the charge against
Dr. El Baradei, saying that his latest report on
Iran’s nuclear program omitted evidence that
the agency had been given about an alleged
covert weaponization plan.
Western intelligence agencies had given
the IAEA material suggesting that Tehran
secretly combined uranium processing, air-
borne high-explosive tests and efforts to re-
vamp a missile cone in a way that would fit a
nuclear warhead.
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29 Elul 5769 • September 18 2009
As we approach the days before Rosh
one’s sentiments must be backed up by
Torah and mitzvos. Actions prove that
what is within one’s heart is sincere. They
help ensure that when Hashem searches
each Jew’s heart on Rosh Hashanah, He
will be happy with what He finds.
ABSOLUTE TRUTH
There is another way that we can
cause a significant change in the din of
Rosh Hashanah. The Torah writes that
Hashem’s ways are “righteous together.”
This implies that Hashem will not exact
any punishment in this world if its rami-
fications are not completely just.
One of Hashem’s thirteen attributes is
emes, truth. The Brisker Rov once asked,
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the
report did not reflect all that the agency knew
about Iran’s “efforts to continue to pursue its
military program”.
France went farther, alleging the existence
of an unpublished annex that addresses the
evidence that Iran may be building an atom
bomb. France had attended a technical briefing
that covered the material, and was surprised to
find it missing from the report.
The published section of the report praised
Iran for slowing its production of enriched
uranium and agreeing to closer monitoring of
its plant.
Debkafile adds (August 31, 2009) that Brit-
ain, the Netherlands and Japan also provided El
Baradei with new and detailed information for
inclusion in his last report before retiring. But
ElBaradei, true to his usual custom of blurring
Iran’s breaches, omitted the new evidence.
In Paragraphs 18 to 20 of his report, he
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YATED NE’EMAN
is truthful? Does anyone think that maybe
He is a liar, Heaven forbid?
The Brisker Rov answered these
questions by applying the above concept.
Divine truth is so far-reaching that when
Hashem does anything in the world, He
takes into account all of the ramifications
that it will have on every single person
who is connected to Him. For this reason,
it is fitting to praise Him with the attribute
of emes.
In this light we can understand why
the Rambam writes that a mourner is
obligated to do teshuvah. Had he been
a greater tzaddik, Hashem might have
waited longer before taking his loved
one from this world. His middas ha’emes
would not let the mourner suffer more
than he deserved.
admits to possessing substantial intelligence
but regrets he is unable to use it to confront Iran
without betraying his sources. U.S. and Israeli
sources denounced this evasion as a diplomatic
scandal verging on fraud.
Carter’s Pack of Lies About
‘Rapacious Israel’
Elliott Abrams, a deputy national security
adviser in the George W. Bush administration,
criticized former president Jimmy Carter’s as-
sessment of the Palestinians in the Washington
Post (September 7, 2009), Excerpts follow:
Former president Jimmy Carter, speak-
ing on behalf of a self-appointed group of
“Elders,” described a rapacious Israel facing
long-suffering, blameless Palestinians. Carter’s
efforts to portray life among the Palestinians as
unbearable and getting worse are belied by data.
While positive views of personal and family
Hashanah, we should try to involve our-
selves with the community and give gener-
ously to those who lack. If we are needed by
those around us to teach Torah or to perform
acts of chesed, Hashem will hesitate to do
anything to us that could cause those who are
relying on us undeserved suffering. This is
the best insurance for immediate inscription
into the book of life, health and prosperity,
and a sweet new year.
•••••
Rabbi Travis is a rosh kollel of Kollel
Toras Chaim in Yerushalayim, and is the
author of Shaylos U’Teshuvos Toras Chaim
and “Praying With Joy - A Daily Tefilla Com-
panion,” a practical daily guide to improv-
ing one’s prayers, available from Feldheim
Publishers. For more information about his
work, contact dytravis@actcom.com.
safety and security in the West Bank stood at
25% four years ago, they have risen in Palestin-
ian polls to 58% in the past year.
There are other ways to measure quality of
life in the West Bank: The International Mon-
etary Fund recently stated that “macroeconomic
conditions in the West Bank have improved”
largely because “Israeli restrictions on internal
trade and the passage of people have been
relaxed significantly.” The IMF predicts that
“continuation of the relaxation of restrictions
could result in real GDP growth of 7% for 2009
as a whole,” a rate of growth that would be far
in excess of ours -- or Israel’s.
Carter states that Gaza is a “walled-in
ghetto” and that “Israel prevents any cement,
lumber, seeds, fertilizer and hundreds of other
needed materials from entering through Gaza’s
gates.” But Gaza has a border with Egypt. Every
commodity that Carter says is needed can be
supplied by Egypt, a point he overlooks in his
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